The cervical spine and muscles of the neck of the human body are extremely complex, such that the movement of the head with respect to the body requires an integrated movement of many muscles in coordination with the articulation of the cervical spine. As such, many people suffer from conditions resulting from improper orientation of the cervical spine, imbalance and strength of the posterior cervical muscles and compression of the spine. These conditions may result from faulty or sustained postures, trauma, emotional stress and the like.
Indeed, many people exhibit a variety of discomforts caused by the misalignment of the cervical spine and imbalance of the associated muscles. For example, localized pain, headaches, decreased circulation and soreness, to name a few, decrease the quality of life of persons suffering from these conditions. These conditions have an associated cycle of pain and muscle contraction that lead to decreased function and the potential soft tissue dysfunction.
The need for exercising the neck, both for therapeutic and strengthening purposes, has long been recognized, and devices are known in prior art for addressing one or both of these issues. Some such prior art devices simply involve engaging the head with some support structure and mounting weights thereon. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,027, issued Nov. 10, 1992, to Robinson, a helmet in the form of an annular ring is mounted to the head by a harness, and a plurality of weights may be placed in and around the annular band in order to exercise the neck. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,124 issued Jul. 13, 1982, to Vover, a helmet is provided with a vertically upward projecting post upon which barbell-type weights may be selectively placed so as to apply a heavier load that must be supported by the neck muscles. Each of these devices, however can increase compression of the cervical spine and, indeed, may cause compression of the neural arches when the head and neck are extended. This is especially true for the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,124.
Other approaches in the prior art recognize that the complex nature of the cervical spine and muscles require proper resistance in more appropriate directions and proportions. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,198 issued Feb. 24, 1987, to Levenston, a neck exercising device is disclosed that includes an upright frame with handles to stabilize the body of the user. The user then wears a helmet provided with attachment hooks. These cords extend downwardly through the frame and are attached to weights that supply the load during the neck-exercising event.
This device still can permit compression of the spine. A somewhat similar structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,437 issued Aug. 22, 2000, to Brooks. Here, however, a person is in a seated position, and an annular frame is oriented in a horizontal frame at approximately the height of the head. The annular frame carries a plurality of pulleys which are selectively positionable about its circumference. The user wears a helmet that is provided with hooks to which cords are attached. These cords extend through the pulleys and are connected to weights to provide the exercising load on the neck. By allowing the pulleys to be selectively positionable about the annular frame, more versatility is accomplished. This device also reduces compression on the spine since the tension forces on cords are in a direction radially outwardly from the head.
While each of the devices described above may have varying degrees of benefits in exercising or strengthening the neck, they still fail to address all of the complexities that are involved in the mechanics of the upper back, neck and head of the human body. These devices fail to take into account the occipital and parietal weight of the head during vertical cervical extension. Also, the head is subject to variable rotational ability between a state of flexion and a 45-degree extension. Accordingly, there is a need for improved neck exercising apparatus and methods which are safe to be implemented in both supervised and unsupervised exercising activities. The present invention is directed to meeting this need.